“Hi Michelle, how’s the weather there? “
“Hi, Gillian, I’ve just seen the trees flying past the window”
WIND
No matter from which direction the air comes, if it meets a range of hills it will have to find a way through the valleys or be forced over the top. When air is forced to rise, it always cools. The rate of cooling is not constant, but on average temperature drops by around 2 °C per 300 m (1,000 ft) of ascent. This means that at the summit, the temperature will be much cooler than in the valley. Couple this with the average doubling in wind speed at the mountain tops and the overall wind-chill effect on a wet or perspiring human body can be very cold indeed. A wind of 40 mph. and an air temperature of 3 °C, not at all an uncommon combination even in summer, will yield a wind-chill temperature of -10 °C.
The average temperature on the tops around here is freezing. That’s the year average .
The lowest temperatures occur inland, away from the moderating influence of the sea, in valleys into which the cold air drains. Coastal areas do not experience such cold nights. It can be quite cosy in our Bay at Kentallen while freezing cold in Glencoe, and worse still on Rannoch Moor.
Gales, storm-force winds, persistent heavy rain or blizzards can be raging at the top, when it is merely cloudy in the valleys. Ice and snow can last long into spring or summer, especially on the north-facing slopes. Certain conditions can also create avalanches. Low cloud is more frequent and extensive on the windward slopes.
